Nick

I read through a bit of the keynote and I was quite underwhelmed. The updates they brought along are much needed and should've been incorporated some time ago into the device, but in true Apple form, they seem to tout it as innovative. This is typical though, and I'm not surprised. I'm not one for the fanboy wars between Android and iOS. The mobile market has come to the point where innovation is plateauing a bit, and now the goal is who can make the best copy. This update isn't as significant as I was expecting, and it would've been nice to see something more substantial. Apple typically does a good job of pushing the competition to outdo them, and now it looks like the tables are turning, except Apple is falling behind. I have an iphone, but I don't pay much attention to these ios updates anymore. I have been thoroughly convinced for some time that this phone just isn't for me. In fact, I really can no longer stand it...I've been jonesing for a new device. I'm not quite set yet with Android, though I know they have some of the best devices out right now, as well as the greatest functionality. In the meantime, I'm holding out for Nokia to release a mango WP7 device. It is by far my favorite interface, and with the mango update it will have features that will put it right at the top of the pack with everyone else. The only thing that has been stopping me so far is all the lackluster hardware. With quality Nokia hardware behind it I will finally have a reason to get one.

As long as you take care around electrical then you should be safe. Typically everything is well protected and can handle a little water here and there, but it is always good to play it safe if you have some plastic bags lying around.

Just paid $4.4ish...Down from around $4.6ish a week ago.

Inception music makes everything more intense and awesome. The filming doesn't hurt, either. I don't know how well chrome vinyl would hold up in the long run. I've seen the paint process for chrome done before on West Coast Customs, and it is actually pretty amazing, though I imagine it is pretty expensive.

I don't think it is about doing something that VVT can't already do, but rather, doing it differently. It would also bring a pretty drastic redesign to the ICE in general...No more timing chains. No more cams. Infinitely variable valve timing. I'm not sure how loud those solenoids would be, or how heavy they are, but it seems reasonable to suspect that you would at least need a bit more electric power to run the engine, and the engine may be a bit taller than a typical DOHC engine. You'd have far less moving parts, far less drivetrain loss, the possibility of a quieter, smoother (and perhaps lighter?) engine. It just seems like it would be a natural progression.

I'm not an IT guy, but somehow I have taken over that roll in my office because I am young and somewhat technologically competent. I find it infuriating sometimes. Some events are laughable...I remember some coworkers trying to get a printer to work. They could not figure out why it wasn't working. They approached me frantically asking me for help. As I walked up to the printer I could clearly see the problem. I plugged in the power cable, and suddenly I was the office hero. I was truly at a loss for words...Well, I did tell them that I'd send them my bill. When I get pissed off is when I have to deal with old reps who hate technology and complain about it every chance they get. Some are very aware of the pace of change that technology brings, and they are very easy to work with. They admit that they aren't tech savvy. I have patience when working with these types and I give them a lot of credit. Then there are the others...the old assholes that bitch and moan...the ones that, despite writing out clear, illustrated instructions on how to perform a basic task will still call you and bitch because, well, they clearly didn't read the instructions (the funny thing is I can track what documents they see, and I know they have seen these documents, but they swear they don't know what I am talking about.) It is also humorous because they give me credit for developing all these programs, interfaces, and technology. They somehow think that I am the one who created it, and it is all my fault that I bring this change upon them. I remember one guy who was tolerable...I had to walk him through finding certain keys on the keyboard...that was fun. A rep I dealt with the other day said he couldn't print out his e-mail. He says he has to forward the e-mails to his other personal e-mail so he can print it out from there. The compliance officer of the firm brought this up to me as it is a major compliance concern that needed to be addressed immediately. The rep was using Outlook Web Access to access our e-mail. That's fine...many reps do. He had the reading pane turned on and thought that because the messages would appear in the reading pane that the message was "open." But he didn't have any option to print. I assured him that it wasn't the case, and the message wasn't technically open (that was fun trying to explain). I told him to double-click on the e-mail to open it...He asks how to do that. I said click twice on the e-mail...Stupid me, I guess I should've specified which mouse button to click as he asked me "right or left?" He does it and says nothing pops up (I know he didn't do it right). He's getting frustrated and pissed off and starts rambling about technology and how I can't just leave it be. I somehow walked him through how to turn off the reading pane. I knew this would force him to double-click on the e-mail which would open it up in a separate window, giving him the option to print. He finally did it, bitching the entire time. I really wanted to ream this guy through the phone and tell him he should probably consider retirement as he is clearly too incompetent to function in a business environment in 2011. Somehow I managed to retain a modicum of patience...it was wearing very thin, though. I can't wait until some of these old, incompetent morons die off...or at least retire. /endrant

I've been really wondering why we haven't seen something like this come along yet. With all the continuously variable valve timing technology that exists you'd think that they'd finally do away with the cams all together.

And not a single f@#k was given that day.

I cannot relate to the sentiment in this thread. I honestly think this is one of the most atrocious cars produced by GM. The bustle-back is an especially horrid design element, in my opinion. I suppose you either love it or you hate it.

Is GM putting Recaros in any of their vehicles anymore? I know they were putting them in the Ion RL & Cobalt SS for quite a while, but stopped before both models ended production. Not sure what else if anything they were putting them in. I thought the CTS-V uses Recaros designed specifically for it?

Yes, I was just going to post a similar thing. This is a perfect example of getting the LED tails right. There are still some good examples of LED tails out there today, but the ones on the Malibu looks chintzy.

Northstar, I think this was mentioned before, but don't forget to include costs like utilities, furniture, appliances, and internet/tv/phones etc. into the equation. Though, some apartments may cover some utilities, and they typically include appliances. Also, gas costs are dependent on the car and miles driven, but I shell (heh) out probably around 250-300 a month on gas...granted, my car is a bad example. Don't forget insurance and registration, as well. You definitely don't want to stretch yourself thin. It is also not a bad idea to set up a savings account of some sort as an emergency fund. Typically, 6 months of living expenses is a good goal to reach. You never know what will happen down the road.

Roths definitely do have contribution limits--currently $5,000 annually, $6,000 if you're over 50. Yes, I misspoke on that one...what Roth's don't have is contribution limitations (as in, the ability to contribute) if you are older than 70.5. You cannot make a contribution to a traditional if you are over 70.5, and yes, the 1k catch-up contribution comes into play when you are 50. I believe it is 5.5k for 401k's. Also, remember that you cannot contribute or you have limited contribution ability to a Roth if your adjusted gross income (and I believe these limits are new for 2011) is between 107k and 122k filing single, or 169k to 179k if you are filing jointly. Roth's are great when you are young, but they aren't always an option in the long run. I should also note based on a statement I made earlier that it is impossible to predict where your tax bracket will be when you retire, and while many will be in a lower tax bracket, you may end up in the same (or even higher) tax bracket depending on how much you have accumulated and how much your required minimum distribution adds up to (not including any other income you may receive). It may be worth noting that traditional iras can be rolled into 401k's. 401k's are eligible to accept IRA rollovers, but, of course, this depends if the plan will accept it. Some do, some don't.

Oops, got cut of...There are benefits to both the Roth and the traditional. The Roth's are especially great in their tax-exempt status being that gains grow tax-exempt as well. Roth's don't have contribution limits, or any required minimum distributions. It would be good to take advantage of both, if not for the ability to at least defer 5k in income with the traditional, which could be particularly useful if you are bordering a higher tax bracket. Otherwise, contribution limits are much higher for 401k's which I believe right now is set to $16,500, and with employer matching they are a great way to go.

Now Nick I gotta disagree with you on the traditional IRAs. I do not recommend the traditional IRA (or a 401k outside of an employer-matching one) because all of the money you put into it is tax-deferred. With a Roth IRA, the contributions are not tax-deferred, meaning you've already paid tax on them. Do you want to risk tax brackets changing unfavorably by the time you want to access your retirement funds? Would you rather pay tax before you even contribute to your retirement fund, or pay tax on the total value of your fund after all of your contributions and earned interest from whatever investment vehicles are contained within your IRA? When you withdraw your traditional retirement account, you will be taxed at your income tax bracket at the time of retirement. You do plan on being successful, don't you? Suze Orman does a great job in this article of explaining the benefits of Roth IRAs in comparison to traditional IRAs, even if the article is a couple years old and slightly dated (the maximum allowable contribution is now capped at $5,000 annually, not $4,000 like it was in 2005). Traditional IRAs are great for reducing your tax liability up to the max allowed contributions every year. Are the funds tax deferred? Yes, but so are those in 401k's (as you mentioned). In a 401k you are typically restricted to investing in whatever your provider offers. In a traditional IRA you are free to invest in what you want (well, to an extent) while still taking advantage of the deferred taxes including capital gains. The idea behind the traditional IRA is once you are 70.5 and required to take distributions, by that time you will be retired and in a significantly lower tax bracket than where you currently reside while the funds accumulate and grow in the account.

Don't buy new. Unless, of course, the car you are getting is really cheap...even so, buy one that is a year or two old...It is still fairly newish, and you won't take as much of a depreciation hit. As long as you stick to tried and true brands and models, and do your homework you shouldn't have too many issues with a used car. Stay away from ze Germans. Don't spend a lot of money on it. I know it is very tempting to have a nice car, but at this point it just may not be worth it for you. take Croc's advice..start investing, and especially take advantage of 401k's if you are offered it (though, I know some businesses have a eligibility requirements, and you may not be eligible right away). Even if you aren't eligible for the 401k right away, open up a traditional IRA which will allow you to lessen your tax liability...If you are worried about not having access to that money, open up a Roth...you won't lessen any tax liability, but you will still be able to put some money aside, and if you ever need it, you can pull it out of the account far sooner than with a traditional IRA. Use the money you saved on the car, and put it towards saving up for a home. Of course, if you aren't planning on sticking around a particular area for very long then it may not make sense, but consider this...FHA loans are at around 4.75% fixed for 30 years...with 3.5% down. I was looking to move out about a month ago into a rental of some sort...my price range (and the typical price range of most places around here) is between 1.5k to 2k a month...That's just for renting. That doesn't even take into consideration the move in total which is around the 5k range. For a little more than it would cost me to move in to a rental (be it apartment, condo, townhouse, home, etc) I could own a place. For around 8k I could move into something priced in the 250k+ range (assuming closing costs are covered by the seller, which I would venture to say many agents can get taken care of) and in some cases I'd be paying less per month than what it would cost me to rent the same place. Now, this is just an example of one of the approaches you can consider...it is an idea that will work for me, but not everyone, of course, and I just figured I'd throw it out there for consideration.

Check autoblog. There are a few more.

I had to move a coworker's new Lexus ES once, and as I was getting into it some passersby said "That's a beautiful car!"...I was speechless...I was hoping he was talking about my car that was parked close behind it, but I'm pretty sure he was referring to the blandmobile. People have no taste anymore...It is no wonder cars are so ugly. I've received nothing but compliments for my car...those who know me know it is not so pretty underneath, though.

Congrats! I'm not a fan of this green, but I could see it looking great with black wheels, body-colored indicators, and the bowties plus any chrome (mainly around the taillights) blacked-out. Oh, and a drop. I saw a mostly stock looking Camaro today, but it had a nice drop to it. Just the drop alone improved the appearance of the car by a huge margin.

I will never understand this trend.

Hit the cat with a mallet...See if you can hear it rattle.

Cool writeup...It is nice to see another biker around here. The weather just started getting nice around here again, so I have been riding all week. That is a strange shifter configuration. I'll have to check out what the SV's looks like, but I'm pretty sure it is nothing like that. I actually took a spill on my bike, and the rubber foot peg on the shifter is what snapped off. I was actually able to go back to the crash site, find the peg, and reattach it using a screw and some nuts (of course, it was probably made to snap off easily, and if I fall again then it may do more damage to the assembly).

You need to make your way westward...I'll show you how to properly hoon that car around Malibu.

Sounds like a typical service experience to me. There is a damn good reason why I do all the work on the BMW myself... When I took my bike in for its first inspection/service I was charges $220 bucks for what amounted to little more thanan oil change. I kicked myself real hard for that.